There have been a string of matches in which PV Sindhu has faltered at the business end.
This is not a call for PV Sindhu to drop her arms and give up. Calls for retirement of legends, besides being pretty indelicate, are also futile. You would be deluded to think a career sportsperson – yes, it’s their career – would read scribbles on social media and quit perhaps the only thing they’ve known all their life, something that has been their identity forever.
So, no. Only Sindhu can decide if she’s had enough and can’t plod further, or if this epic, spirit-crushing struggle is worth her effort.
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The legacy of two Olympic and five World Championship medals doesn’t get tarnished because she’s dragging her feet literally in this last phase. But there’s enough data to prove that she’s repeating the same errors over and over again. And no one voicing an opinion has a solution to a specific problem: Sindhu’s struggles at the finish.
There’s an unsavoury word used to mock South African cricket. Sindhu herself fought these judgments off famously when she broke the streak of silver (read: lost finals) to win the 2019 World Championship. But age, 13 years of repetitive toil, a slowed-down game, suspect endurance and speed, and an inability to adapt like a technical chameleon (like Ratchanok Intanon and Carolina Marin did), have all brought on this horror phase.
The Sindhu smash has lost its power and sting, robbing her off her biggest weapon. And no coach – she’s had seven high-profile names – has managed to restore her dominance. Commentators at the Sudirman Cup tossed up a few theories, some laughable – she’s too happy and content in life after marriage – and some pretty sombre – that technically, she didn’t evolve beyond her power-based skill set to be able to navigate this phase, like Ratchanok or Marin did, broadening their games, in stroke variety and rally continuation.
Some or all of those might be true, but it has been tricky to identify this problem for commentators who watch her day in, day out, because of the manner of her losses. Fourteen of Sindhu’s last losses from 16 tournaments resulted because she couldn’t string together the last few points of a game. That is, she couldn’t finish.
Here’s some eye-popping stats in the last one year:
16 tournaments.
14 frittered losses.
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19 times – lost from an advantageous or equal position, or after fighting to level game scores.
9 times – botched a chunky lead.
Sindhu doesn’t suddenly forget to play badminton, or to win points. She is clearly low on confidence, ideas and fitness (endurance), and cannot close out a game or a match.
Calls for repairing her game (she’s only 29) might be more prudent than those for retiring, because though the issues may be manifold and deep, the target area is specific – Finishing.
Indonesia Masters of 2024 saw Sindhu lead 20-14 against Vietnamese Thuy Lin Nguyen in the opening game. She ceded eight straight points to lose 20-22, and subsequently the match.
Sample these other leads in lost games: 13-10 to 17-21 against Julie Jakobsen at the Swiss Open, 13-9 to 21-23 against Yeo Jia Min at the China Masters, 14-12 to 17-21 against Michelle Li at the Kumamoto Masters, 15-10 to 20-22 against Carolina Marin at Singapore, 11-3 to 16-21 at the Malaysia Masters against Wang Zhi Yi, 15-10 to 18-21 against Han Yue at the Asian Championship, 2024.
There are other instances when Sindhu fought back from trailing or was near-level, but couldn’t push any more, all her energy consumed in getting to base camp with no fuel left for the ascent. Esther Wardoyo at Asian Championships, 2025 – 12-12 to 15-18 to 19-21; Jakobsen at Swiss Open – 9-16 to 17-17 to 17-21; Kim Ga Eun at All England – 2-7 to 12-12 to 13-21; Yeo Jia Min – 15-15 to 16-21; He Bing Jiao at Paris Olympics – 14-17 down to 19-19 to 19-21; Wen Chi Hsu at Indonesia Open 2024 in the decider, after bravely pushing for a decider – 12-12 to 15-21. And finally, twice to Han
Yue at Badminton Asia Championships 2024 – 15-10 to 17-17 to 18-21 and again in the decider – 10-11 to 17-21.
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On the 12th and 17th points after levelling – Sindhu has faltered unfailingly. And these critical junctures is where Sindhu’s opponents accelerate – hand speed up, more power loaded in kills, swamping the Indian, burying her under quickly-strung-together points.
Sindhu concedes points in a cluster, and what has baffled most is why no coach has been able to stem those mistakes, as the 17-point mark invariably sees her freezing.
Sindhu’s losses against the deceptive Gregoria Mariska Tunjung are instructive: at Denmark, the Indian was a game and 6-9 down against the Indonesian, when she mounted an almighty comeback to win the second game 21-16. In the third, she was spent, losing 9-21. At the India Open, in the decider, Sindhu did well to catch up from 11-13 and 14-17 down to 17-17. Thereafter, she faded like a comet – the next four points to 17-21 a blur.
It could be endurance issues or a basic error in shot selection at the crunch. But each time she lets the shuttle drop on the backline, fervently hoping it drifts OUT but it lands IN, you wonder if she can summon the fight for the finish or it’s a metaphor for her larger career.
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Sequence of leads squandered or finishes botched up in last one year:
Line Kjaersfeldt, Sudirman Cup
20-16 to 20-22
19-12 to 21-23
Esther Wardoyo, BAC
12-12, 15-18, 19-21
Julie Jakobsen, Swiss Open
13-10 to 17-21
9-16 to 17-17 to 17-21
Kim Ga Eun, All England
18-9 to 20-19 to 21-19
2-7 to 12-12 to 13-21
Thuy Lin Nguyen, Indonesia Masters
20-14 to 20-22
Tujung, India Open
14-10 to 21-19
Did everything right – 11-13 to 14-17 to 17-17 to 17-21
Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball.
Professional Profile
Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express.
Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics.
Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium.
Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025)
Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond:
Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style.
PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps.
The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals.
Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas.
Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes.
Notable Recent Articles
BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025)
The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025)
Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025)
Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025)
Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025)
Other Sports Interests
Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts.
You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More
